Subject: F1) What regions around the globe have tropical cyclones and who
is responsible for forecasting there?

There are seven tropical cyclone "basins" where storms occur on a
regular basis:

WMO

Contributed by Chris Landsea (NHC)

Atlantic basin (including the North Atlantic
Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea)

Northeast Pacific basin (from Mexico to about the dateline)

Northwest Pacific basin (from the dateline to Asia
including the South China Sea)

North Indian basin (including the Bay of Bengal and the
Arabian Sea)

Southwest Indian basin (from Africa to about 100E)

Southeast Indian/Australian basin (100E to 142E)

Australian/Southwest Pacific basin (142E to about 120W)

The National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida, USA has
responsibilities for monitoring and forecasting tropical
cyclones in the Atlantic and Northeast Pacific basin east of
140W. The Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu has
responsibilities for the remainder of the Northeast Pacific
basin to the International Dateline. The Northwest Pacific
basin is shared in forecasting duties by China, Thailand, Korea,
Japan, the Philippines, and Hong Kong. The North Indian basin
tropical cyclones are forecasted by India, Thailand, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Burma, and Sri Lanka. Reunion Island, Madagascar,
Mozambique, Mauritius, and Kenya provide forecasts for the
Southwest Indian basin. Australia and Indonesia forecast
tropical cyclone activity in the Southeast Indian/Australian
basin. Lastly, for the Australian/Southwest Pacific basin
Australia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and New Zealand
forecast tropical cyclones. Note also that the US Joint Typhoon
Warning Center (JTWC) issues warnings for tropical cyclones in the
Northwest Pacific, the North Indian, the Southwest Indian, the
Southeast Indian/Australian, and the Australian/Southwest
Pacific basins, though they are not specifically tasked to do so
by the WMO. The US
Naval Pacific Meteorology and Oceanography Center in Pearl
Harbor, Hawaii does the same for the Pacific Ocean east of
180E. (Neumann 1993)

Note that on rare occasions, tropical cyclones (or storms
that appear to be similar in structure to tropical cyclones) can
develop in the Mediterranean Sea. These have been noted to
occur in September 1947, September 1969, January 1982, September
1983, and, most recently, during 13 to 17 January, 1995. Some
study of these storms has been reported on by Mayengon (1984) and Ernest
and Matson (1983), though it has not been demonstrated
fully that these storms are the same as those found over
tropical waters. It may be that these Mediterranean tropical
cyclones are more similar in nature to polar lows.

The recent hurricane that formed in the South Atlantic was
handled by the Brazilian weather service. Since tropical
cyclones are so rare in this region, the WMO has not designated
a forecast center with responsibility for there.

The following are the addresses of tropical cyclone centers listed
above that are responsible for issuing advisories and/or
warnings on tropical cyclones (thanks to Jack Beven for these):